ASOS Girl of the Moment
Malaika Firth
Model of the moment, the Kenyan-born British model, Malaika Firth
Malaika Firth was attracted attention when she was booked as the first black model in almost 20 years to appear in Prada advertising.
Signed in 2011 by Premier as a skinny, shy, 17 year old. The London based model has achieved more in the last year than models with 10 years experience. Her mother watched the model agency, a documentary about the Premier agency, on Channel 4, and thought it looked like it was the place for Malaika. She was interested in modelling beforehand. So her mother rang up, the owner, Carole White, to arrange a meeting and signed her on the spot. "It's a frickin' rollercoaster. I wish I has known how much pressure there would be, " Malaika says.
" I'd would have been able to prepare myself better. From the outside it all looks so easy, but the days are so frickin' long, and sometimes you see some girls at the end of the shoot thinking, "Oh my gosh, I'm so tired." But I am learning day by day. There are worst things, man, come on!"
In 2015, modelling isn't only about modelling. Social media is one of the key aspects of the career, to sell a lifestyle, an idealised existence of parties and celebrities that goes beyond an image.
You need more of a personality just as much as a pout. Malaika has beyond 110,000 followers on Instagram and 7,000 on Twitter.
Her personal style
She wasn't a fan of clothes before a model, dressing in colourful top as a 'clown' as she says. As she used to hate shopping but now she mostly wears black and more neutral colours. "I try to be more sophisticated - I think the transition has been a part of growing up". She calls herself quite 'low-maintenance', growing up, she used to admire her aunties make-up and now loves buying beauty products herself..
Instagram & Twittter: @malaikafirth